Newcastle Poster Company

The Newcastle Poster Co.

The Newcastle Poster Company was started in 2000 by Steve Whittle. – These reproductions of the original posters have been made firstly by cleaning and repairing the digital images provided by SSPL to remove the creases, holes, stains, rips, dust, spots and water marks which they accumulated whilst sitting folded up ,for many years, unloved and frequently un-noticed, on station masters often damp office shelves. Where appropriate, the brush marks have been replicated and the colours have been restored as closely as possible to our best estimate of the artist’s original intentions.The original posters were designed to be either Quad Royal ( 50 inches by 40 inches ) or Double Royal ( 25 inches by 40 inches) and the frames on station platforms were specifically designed to hold prints with those dimensions.

Railway posters started in the late 1800’s as a way of Railway Companies advertising their new routes and coincided with a surge in industrialisation and the consequent increase in disposable income in the average working man’s pocket. The Railway companies were keen to increase passenger numbers and enticed families to venture out into the fresh air of the countryside and seaside. Many previously tiny fishing villages were completely transformed by the arrival of huge numbers of tourists. The more adventurous Railway companies such as LNER employed artists to promote these new destinations and the posters actually became works of art in themselves. By the late 1950’s however, photography had taken over and that brief period in the art world was over.